Irish Music Stories is the show about traditional music.... and the much bigger stories behind it. IMS is about everything--through an Irish music lens.

Whether you already play the fiddle or you know nothing about trad music or dance, I hope you'll join me, Shannon Heaton, as I learn how a band of Boston tweens ended up at a big music competition in Sligo, and what it meant to their families... and as I dig into the darker, sweeter side of Irish humor... and as I explore what learning Irish songs together is really all about.

Meet thoughtful and incredibly charming people in pubs, kitchens, and backstages throughout the U.S., Ireland, and beyond, underscored with toe-tapping and heart-soaring melodies that seem familiar, even if you've never heard them before.

Is there something strange about speaking Japanese, and removing
your shoes BEFORE tucking into a set of Irish reels? Host Shannon
Heaton travels around Japan with Tokyo-based trad
band tricolor to learn more about the Irish and Celtic music scenes
in the Land of the Rising Sun… and discovers heaps of
common ground, social culture, and cake. Plenty of music
here, too. Full playlist below.

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Thanks to everybody for listening. And a special thank you to
Gerry Corr, Chris McGlone, Sally Tucker, Jeremy Keith, David
Vaughan, Chris Murphy, Brian Benscoter, and Joe Garrett for
underwriting this episode.